LOVE AND DEEPSPACE Oneshots

Beauty of the ocean (Rafayel x Reader)

Enjoy!

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"Do... we really need to go on a walk by the ocean?"

I grip the steering wheel even tighter, my knuckles turning white. I glance at Rafayel. He's leaned back into his seat, relaxed, facing the open window of the car, enjoying the wind on his face. The warm color of the sky announced that the sun was about to set in one or two hours.

"Yes. We have to. Because I want to." He replies unbothered.

I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the road, wondering if he notices how nervous I am.

It was a beautiful summer evening. My sister and I were playing by the lake, not so far away from the cabin my parents had rented for our holiday. We were playing mermaids, swimming in the lower parts of the lake, throwing water at each other, just having fun in general.

"I'm going to catch you!" my sister yelled. "When I catch you, you'll get turned into sea foam!"

I laughed at her.

"But you have to catch me first!" and swam on, not looking back.

When I finally did, I realized I was much farther out than I wanted to be. My feet no longer touched the lakebed, and I was floating, suddenly helpless.

Then I felt something wrapping around my foot. I panicked, yelled for help, but my parents were too far away to hear me. The tickling sensation around my ankle turned into a grip, tightening. Water slipped into my mouth as I cried for help. I coughed, swallowing even more water.

I thought I wouldn't make it. I though that I would die that day. But somehow, I managed to break free and scramble to the shore.

Since then, I've been scared of water. I know it probably sounds silly, but the fear that it might happen again - and that this time I might not be so lucky – sticks with me.

"Hey, you still here?"

Rafayel's voice snaps me back to reality. I nod quickly.

"Yeah, I was just thinking." I signal for a left turn. "We're here."

We step out of the car, being greeted by a salty, refreshing breeze. I blink and glance at the ocean. The waves were rhythmically crashing up and down, forming white foam. I feel my stomach turn just at the look of it. The sky is still a soft orange, and the closer it got to the sun, which was a decent distance above the horizon, the more blue it got. I swallow hardly and look at Rafayel, who was just pulling off his socks, placing them into his shoes and tossing them into the car.

"Come on, cutie, kick off those shoes and let's go!"

He grins, then looks at me questioningly from head to toe.

"Uh, yeah, sure! Sure..." I slide off my shoes slowly.

"Hurry, come on!" he laughs and steps ahead into the sand, swinging his arm behind his back and holding it there for me to grab.

„Hey, wait!" I throw my shoes into the car as well, close the door and lock it. I hurry and grab his hand, getting a light squeeze from him as he pulls me along.

We walk across the beach, him on the side of the water, his feet getting splashed by the waves, while I stay safely on the wet sand. Each time a powerful wave touches my toes, a shiver runs down my spine, making me more anxious.

Rafayel, seemingly oblivious, chatters away about everything and nothing, only taking a break to take a breath.

The sun was steadily sinking, at this point it was a little above the ocean, the clouds reflecting it's light, shining like pieces of pure gold. When we approach a set of stairs leading to a pier, he suddenly stops.